Read of the Week

Hello Anne enthusiasts!

This week I dove into Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession by Elizabeth Norton and admittedly I was a little disappointed. First of all the author attempts to interpret Anne's emotions WAY too much leading to phrases like "must have" "surely would have" and other conjecture to be overused. Norton's lack of ability to prove the things she says make the book seem under supported; one of the most frustratingly obvious examples of this was her claim that not only was Anne present at the Field of Cloth of Gold ceremony, but the "probably" felt happiness at seeing her father there. There is absolutely no historical record indicating that Anne attended the ceremony, let alone how she may have felt at it. The chronological order of the book is also somewhat confusing. Norton often jumps around in Anne's life, downplaying important events and highlighting others with less (I believe) historical value. For example she makes no mention of the St. Erkenwald wedding of Anne. I also noticed some historical errors in her writing; namely when she claims Mark Smeaton was hung, drawn and quartered. This is absolutely untrue. He was beheaded just like all of Anne's accused lovers.

I confess, I wanted to love this book; the title was interesting, I am always hankering for a new Anne Boleyn work to expand my knowledge and Norton's books have their own shelf in my library. I admit, I did not love it. Despite what I feel are some short-comings I can still appreciate how the author draws the reader in; Norton's style makes for interesting and easy reading. She gives a lot of "food for thought" on the relationship between Henry VIII and Anne, presenting facts and then allowing you to interpret and draw your own conclusions. I am also recommending this book because the imagery is incredible, the author accessed parts of Hever, the Tower and other Anne related spaces not normally open to the public thus allowing many of us to see these places for the first time.

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